Can't We Try
by Two Dollahs
Summary: Warrick finds love. But is it strong enough to pass the obsticals? Short story


Disclaimer: I own nothing once again, except for Kaylie Mills, and her family. The other characters and such things belonging to CSI belong to Jerry. Once again this is a songfic, however it is not your typical one. This idea was based on a song by Rockelle and Collage. So kudos to them as well. Now please enjoy...............

Can't We Try

Warrick Brown sat there on the couch in the break room, hunched over head in his hands. He didn't know what to do, how to try, all the options he came up with were either impossible or they fell through. He was in love with a girl that could never truly be his. He had been lying to himself for the past two months thinking that he could actually spend the rest of his life with her.

Nick Stokes walked in carrying a file under his left arm on the phone with his right. He set the folder on the table and poured himself a cup of coffee with his free arm. He was completely unaware of his friends presence until he put his phone down. He walked over to the chair across from his friend and took a seat. "What's up man?" He asked taking a sip of the caffeinated beverage. Warrick looked up his eyes heavy his mind unable to concentrate except for one thing. Nick had never seen his friend look this bad even when they had to pull a double. "You look like shit." He said simply.

"Thanks." He said unenthusiastically. He rubbed over his face a few times and leaned back. "We've tried everything man. We are all out of options."

Nick was best friends with Kaylie Mills. They had grown up together in Texas and her father, Greyson Mills, known to Nick as sir, owned the largest oil company in the states. They were a strict southern family and Nick was happy to hear that the two along with her mother, Leanne, and her brother, Derek, were spending the summer in Las Vegas. Although Kaylie lived on her own it was hard for her to do things without her parents knowing about it mostly because she hadn't moved that far from their home in Texas. Nick had introduced Kaylie to Warrick two months ago and it was truly love at first site. They had been going out for a while but two nights ago her parents had found out about him. They took one look at him and it didn't matter that he was sweet or kind, all that they saw was his color. Interracial dating was forbidden in their family, and she knew it, but she thought if she could show them what he was like they would throw their racism out the window. They had forbidden her to see him and the only time she had was last night when they had met at Nick's house. "I don't know what to tell you." Nick sighed.

There was some kind of commotion going on outside the break room and Nick and Warrick stood up to see what the problem was. Nick stepped out into the hall and was rammed into by some woman, he caught her in his arms and before he could see who it was there were two police officers running toward him. "Sorry Mr. Stokes." They said going to take her away.

"Nicky." Kaylie said looking up from his chest.

"Kaylie?" He said wondering why she was here. "It's ok guys. She's with me." He said holding his hand up to the policemen. He ushered her into the break room and Warrick took over.

"What happened Kay?" He asked holding her while he sat next to her on the couch. As he looked at her he saw that her face had clouded over like a little girls, the brilliant sparkle that use to shine in her eyes was now gone.

"They don't get it. Why can't they see how much we love each other and just move on with their lives? I mean Christ I can't even see you without telling them. They want to send me home with a bodyguard saying it's for my protection but they just want to make sure you don't come around." She said in a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Slow down baby, what brought this on?"

"We all sat down to dinner and they started talking about how I made the right decision by telling you to piss off and how that we're from different worlds and how we could never make things work. Well that was the last straw for me and I lashed out at them. I told them how I wasn't going to stop seeing you and I didn't care about what they said and that they couldn't stop me. I even told me to cut me out of the family if it meant I could stay with you, but he told me that he would see to it that I wouldn't and he told me to pack up." she cried out.

"What do you mean pack up?" Nick asked, she wasn't suppose to leave for another month.

"He's making us all leave on a plane the day after tomorrow." She said unable to look either of them in the eye.

"Maybe it's for the best." Warrick said very softly, almost hoping no one would hear it but they both did.

"What?" Nick asked shocked he would say that.

"What did you say?" Kay asked, unable to speak. Surely the man she loved, the man she was willing to leave everything that felt safe to her behind to be with him, wasn't the same man ready to give up.

Warrick looked at her. "Kaylie we've tried everything there is to try."

"Then we can try some more, we can try harder. I thought that the love we had was worth fighting for, I've swallowed my pride why can't you? I love you so much that it makes me ill, it makes me hurt inside." She said confessing to him.

"They won't listen Kay, there's nothing else we can do."

Nick couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth, and he didn't think Warrick did either. He sat there shocked unable to speak and if he could he probably would still say nothing because it wasn't his place.

Kaylie stood up and shook her head at him. "I can't believe that you're saying these things." Then she turned to anger, she was the one making the sacrifices for him not the other way around. "Maybe it is for the best." She said storming out.

Nick stood after Warrick and finally found his voice. "What the hell was that?" He yelled.

"I don't know." He said running out of the room to chase Kay down. He walked out of the CSI doors and saw her sitting to the side on the bottom step. He walked towards her and she heard her on the phone. "Did I make a mistake?" He heard her ask. 'So now she's going to just spill out over the phone to God knows who when it's none of their business. Sure everyone should have someone to talk to but I should be that person for her.' He thought. He wasn't thinking about the fight they just had he was jealous of whoever this person was. "Who is that?" He said behind her. Kaylie turned and closed the phone standing up and walking away. "No." He said turning her around. "Who was that?"

"It's none of your damn business." She spat throwing her arm down and out of his grasp.

"So you're fine talking to a stranger about our business."

"First of all, it wasn't a stranger, and second of all who should I talk to, you? I've tried to talk to you but now that things are the most difficult you're ready to throw in the towel. My life is changing dramatically right now. I no longer have the trust of my parents or the faith that I'll make the right decisions, on anything, and now one of the only two people I can count on is turning their back on me. I feel so lonely and afraid right now that I can't even...." She paused looking to her right, the first time she had broken their eye contact then she looked back at him. "I'm sorry but I can't talk to you right now." She said turning around half of her praying that he wouldn't try to stop her but the other half wanted him to grab her, turn her around and tell her that everything was going to be fine, that they would make it through together.

"Don't be afraid." He whispered to her retreating back a solitary tear sliding down his cheek.

Warrick hadn't spoken to Kaylie in two days and now in any minute she would be boarding that fateful plane on her way home to Texas. He ran fast through the airport unaware of how fast his legs were carrying him. He pushed through people yelling excuse me and sorry back to them.

Kaylie sat in the plastic chair writing down the last to her poem,

_Don't let our love fade away_

_No matter what people say_

_Cause I need you more, and more each day_

_No matter what they say_

A tear came to her face and she quickly wiped it away before her parents could see. Nick however did see it and held tighter to her hand.

"Well Nicholas it was good to see you." Greyson said standing up.

"You too sir." He said shaking his hand.

"You must come by the next time you're in Texas." Leanne said in her heavy drawl.

"Absolutely Mrs. Mills." He said taking her hand as well. Derek slid in front of his parents and the three of them boarded the plane.

Kaylie put the notebook in her bag and pulled out a sealed envelope. She held it in her hands before giving it to Nick. "Can you give this to him tomorrow, you know wait a bit?"

Nick nodded as he took it from her. "You know I will." He said. She turned to board. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked. She turned around as her stuck out his arms as if he were being searched. She smiled sadly as she went up to him and gave him a small hug. "The Kaylie I know gives better hugs than that." He said teasing her. She wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged him as tight as she could. "That's my girl." He teased again until he noticed that she was crying. "It's ok baby." He said petting down her hair. "You'll see everything will work out in the end." He said.

She knew he didn't believe a word he was saying but she found comfort in him none the less. "Promise you'll come visit?"

"I promise."

"I mean it." She said pulling back. "Make it official Nicky." She said holding out her pinky. He took her pinky with his and they went into their five second hand thing. They hadn't done it in at least six years but they moved through it flawlessly.

"Come here you." He said pulling her in for one more hug. "I'm due for a vacation later on this year anyway." He said.

She smiled up at him. "I love you Nicky." She said giving him a small kiss on the lips. It wasn't meant to be romantic, just a friendly kiss.

"I love you too babes." He said back. Kaylie turned and boarded her families private jet and settled in her window seat.

"It's for the better dear." He mother said from in front of her. Kaylie ignored her as she stared out the window into the rain. She could see Nicky in the airport window and she did her one finger wave and saw him do it back. But then he turned away and looked to be arguing with someone. "Ten minutes to lift off sir." She heard the pilot say to her father. She continued to look out the window to try and figure out what Nick was doing.

Warrick finished through security and took off running toward the gate. He looked around for her but didn't see her anywhere. Then he looked to the window and saw Nick waving one finger. "Tell me I'm not to late." He said coming up behind him.

Nick turned around startled to hear Warrick. He didn't know how to break it to his friend so he just said it. "She boarded a few minutes ago." Nick said pointing out the window to the jet. No one had wanted to see Warrick and Kaylie together more than him but he feared it was to late.

Warrick pressed his palms against the glass. "I can't be late. No." He argued, not sounding convincing at all.

"I'm sorry." Nick said."

Kylie took in a sharp breath when she saw Warrick press against the window. She had to do something, if he loved her enough to try and get her to stop from leaving then it was worth fighting her parents for love. But what if he was just returning a jacket or something or just wanted to say thanks for the good time. No he wasn't like that, it had to be love, he had to be willing to put up a fight. A million thoughts were crossing her mind. She looked back out at the window and saw Nick and Warrick frantically waving there arms. She put her hand to the window attempting to get closer to figure out their message. Warrick held up a phone and three hands pointed to it. She dug around in her bag frantically searching for her phone forgetting she had it on vibrate. "Hello?"

"Don't leave me. I know I've made mistakes but there's no one else I want to say 'I told you so'. I didn't mean it when I said it was for the better. What's for the better is you and me together. If we only have two cents in our pocket then so be it because all that matters is that it's our pocket. I've never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you and if I have to get a flight to Texas and fight for you I will." Warrick said frantically, meaning every word.

Kaylie watched him through the window as a tear slid down her cheek. She was caught up in what he was saying she didn't realize they were next in line to take off. She closed the phone and stood up.

"Where is she?" Warrick asked when she disappeared from the window. Nick shrugged having no idea.

"Daddy please stop the plane." She said standing in front of her father.

"Did you forget something darling?" He asked. He saw the look on her face and knew it was about Warrick. "Now darling, you need to move on that boy is no good for you."

"Daddy please, I have done everything you've ever asked. I've never disobeyed you and I don't mean to now, but I love him daddy. It isn't just a summer fling either, it's real love. All I'm asking is for this one thing and if that means you want to disown me or cut me out of your life then that's the price I will have to pay. Please daddy don't make me choose." She attempted to plead one last time.

He saw the tears streaming down her face. The last thing he wanted to do was see his daughter upset, but it wasn't acceptable for her to be dating someone other than her own color. He had no choice.

Warrick sighed and let his head drop as he saw the plane move down the runway.

Nick looked from his friend back to the plane but saw that it had stopped. He didn't want to get his friends hopes up so he said nothing. But then he saw something moving from the plane. A smile spread across his face. "Warrick!" He yelled out.

Warrick looked up and to his friend. Nick frantically pointed out the window. He followed Nicks gaze and saw Kaylie running from the plane to the stairs of the gate. He ran to the gate door to meet her.

Kylie ran as fast as she could to the stairs in front of her, the biggest smile on her face. She ran up the stairs and pushed open the doors. She saw Warrick standing there ready for her. She ran straight to him and he lifted her into the air as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. His hands went below her butt to support her and He gave her the best most passionate kiss that they had ever shared. Nick was right, it had all worked out in the end.

**Fin**


End file.
